Fresno, California - Marci Jessie Ramirez, 46, of Fresno, pleaded guilty Monday to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between July 2013 and October 2015, Ramirez misappropriated other peoples’ personal identifying information, which she acquired in some cases from client intake forms she accessed through her former employer, and used that information to fraudulently open bank accounts at federally insured financial institutions. Ramirez obtained and deposited counterfeit or altered checks into these bank accounts and ultimately withdrew cash or used funds from the deposits for personal purchases. Ramirez also illicitly used other peoples’ credit card information to purchase items for her personal benefit. For instance, according to Ramirez’s plea agreement, she purchased a $5,000 duo reverse transfer printer using one of her victim’s credit card account information.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the case.

Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on March 5, 2018. Ramirez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for mail fraud and an additional mandatory two-year term in prison for aggravated identity theft, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.